Lock



c. R. DAYTON 2,087,755

LOCK

July 20, l 937 Filed July 7, 1936 INVENTOR 6240/) 52' 00 7-0 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Clara R. Dayton, Westfield, N. J. 7 Application July 7, 1936, .Serial No. 89,308

5 Claims.

This invention relates to locks or bolts and particularly to the type known as chain boltsi,

Such type of bolt usually comprises a flexible chain, attached at one end to a plate screwed to the door or to the door frame, and having its other end adapted to be received in the slot in a plate attached to the door or frame. When in its closed position the bolt allows a slight amount of slack in the chain to permit'the door to be opened a small amount. Skillful thieves are able to open this type of lock by various methods, one of which consists of inserting a flexible instrument through the slightly open door and engaging the end of the chain and sliding it along in its retaining slot until it drops out of the same thereby permitting the opening of the door.

The main object of this invention is to provide a bolt of the so-called chain type in which means are provided for so engaging the end of the chain that the slack in the chain is eliminated, thereby enabling the chain to act as a positive lock to prevent the door from being opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for engaging and retaining the end of the chain in such a manner as to prevent it from being engaged by an instrument and surreptitiously slid out of its retaining slot. Another object of the invention is to provide means for carrying out the objects above stated and at the same time permitting the lock to be used in the conventional manner in which chain bolts are used.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a lock or bolt made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a rear View of the slotted keeper plate; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 5 is a front view of a modified form of keeper plate.

With reference to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 6 indicates a plate which is secured to the face of the door frame l5 by any suitable fastening means, such as the screws I. Plate 6 is provided with the staple or loop 8 to which one end of the chain bolt 9 is permanently attached. The opposite end of the chain bolt is provided with a button Ill, formed with a contracted neck portion H and head l2.

At I3 is shown a second plate adapted to be secured to the inner face of the door M by means of the screws It or other fastening means. Said plate is formed with a continuous slot I! of in verted U-shape, thus having vertically disposed leg portions l8 and I9, connected-at their upper ends by the curved lateral passage iiii. Said passage 28 is provided, preferably at an intermediate point, with the enlarged opening 2! through which the head i2 of the locking ele-y ment or button iii may be easily passed to cause the button to be engaged with the slot.

Secured at the back of the plate !3 by rivets 23 or the like-is a spring 22 which has'its respective ends 26 and 25 extending across the legs 18 and IQ of the slot, said spring ends being slightly transversely arched, as clearly seen in Fig. 4.

Briefly, the operation of the device is asfollows: In the normal use of the lock, and particularly during the daytime, it is desirable to have some slack in the chain bolt to permit of the door being slightly opened to inspect any caller. With this in view, the button it on theend of the chain is inserted through opening it in the slot to thereby cause the button to engage in the slot in the conventional manner of chain bolts, and the button is then drawn to the left, as viewed in Fig. l, and pushed downwardly into the leg it of the slot. As the button is thus forced downwardly, it can by a slight tilting movement, be slid past the spring end or finger 25 to reachv the lower end of the leg 18 of the slot. Spring portion 25, then overlying the neck 5 l of the button as shown in Fig. 2, will then resist upward movement of the button in the slot, particularly if any effort is made to raise that end of the chain bolt from outside of the door. By slightly tilting the button in the slot as shown in Fig. 4, it can be moved past the spring and upwardly to reach the opening 2!.

During the night, or at any other time when I it is desired to prevent any opening movement of the door, the chain bolt is maintained in a'relatively taut position across the opening between the door and-frame by positioning the button It in the leg iii of the slot. When in this leg of the slot, the button is prevented from upward movement by means of the spring portion 24 as previously explained with relation to the leg iii of the slot.. As the inverted U-shaped slot shown is continuous, it will be seen that the movement of the button from one leg portion of the slot to the other is a simple and easy one and can be readily done without removing the button from the slot.

In Fig. 5 a modification is shown wherein the plate [3 is provided with two spaced and separate slots 21 and 28, each of which is formed with an enlarged opening 29 at its upper end.

The spring 22 is employed as heretofore described. When the button on the chain bolt is located in slot 21, the chain is slack, thereby permitting the door to be opened slightly, While when the chain is located in slot 28 the chain is taut across the door opening and prevents opening of the door. Enlargements 29 at the upper ends of the slots enable the easy insertion of the button in either of the selected slots.

With the several arrangements shown, the advantages and means of usage ofthe conventional chain bolt are provided while at the same time, a secure and additional effective safeguard is also provided when desired. 7

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising, a chain bolt, a plate to which one end of said bolt is secured, a second plate having a slot into which the opposite end of the chain bolt is received, said slot being in the form of an inverted U, and means for engaging the end of the chain and holding it against movement when the same is located in either of the leg portions of the U-slot.

2. A device of the character described comprising, a chain bolt, a plate to which one end of said chain bolt is permanently attached, a slotted plate into which the opposite end of. the chain bolt is received, the slot in said plate having spaced vertically disposed leg portions into either of which the end of the chain is adapted to be received, a connecting portion of said slot extending between the upper ends of the leg portions, and means for holding the end of the chain in 7 either of the leg portions of the slot.

3. A device of the character described comprising, a chain bolt, a plate to which one end of the chain bolt is permanently attached, a second plate for attachment to a door and formed with a U slot having two vertically disposed, substantially parallel leg portions connected at one end by a curved passage, the free end of the chain having a locking element for engagement with said slot and being capable of being moved into either one of the two leg portions thereof, and means for engaging the locking element when it is positioned in either of said leg portions and preventing it from movement out of the same.

4. A device of the character described comprising, a chain bolt, a plate to which one end of the chain bolt is secured, a second plate provided with a slot into which the opposite end of the chain bolt is received, said slot being in the form of an inverted U, and a spring extending across the leg portions of the slot for engaging the end of the chain and holding it therein when it is located in either of said leg portions.

5. A device of the character described comprising, a chain bolt, a plate to which one end of the chain bolt is attached, a second slotted plate with which the opposite end of the chain is adapted to engage, the second plate having spaced slots, one of which receives the end of the chain to hold the chain Without slack and the other when holding the end of the chain allows slack in the same, and spring means extending across said slots to hold the end of the chain in either of them.

CLARA R. DAYTON. 

